Car-door fastener.



No. 682,530. Patented Sept. l0, |90I.

J. L. CLARK & F. G. HAMILTUN.

CAR DOOR FAS'I'ENEB.

(Application filed Feb. 2, `1901..)

(No Model.)

Z m j @num-ms E www@ 5 www UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.,

JOHN L. CLARK AND FRANK G. HAMLTON, OF STEVENS POINT, VISOONSIN.

CAR-DOOR FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,530, datedSeptember 10, 19011.

Application filed February 2, 1901. Serial No. 45,777. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that We, JOHN L. CLARK and FRANK G. HAMILTON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Stevens Point, in the county of Portageand State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oar-Door Fasteners; and We do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-door fasteners.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, andarrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

One object of our invention is the production of a simple and effectivemeans for securing a door in a closed condition and at the same time usethe same means, with the addition of a seal or padlock, for permanentlylocking the door.

Another object of our invention is to provide a fastening for a cardoorwhich will act as a gravity-lock and which will be free from springs andother complicated mechanism which will render the construction expensiveand objectionable to railroad officials and which will not be obstructedin its successful operation by dirt or snow and ice getting in betweenthe parts of the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof a car, showing our improved fastening means in position upon the sameand holding the door in a closed condition. Fig. 2 is a perspective Viewof a portion of a car with our improved fastening means applied to thesame and showing the hasp as it would appear when about to beenteredinto the slot in the keeper, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionthrough the door and the door post or frame of the car with our improvedfastening means applied thereto and showing the door in a lockedcondition.

1 in the drawings represents a car-door of ordinary construction, whichmay be mounted on the car 2 in any suitable or approved man ner-' as,for instance, by being suspended from above by means of hangers 3, whichare adapted to travel on a rod or track 4, extending along the outsideof the car. The door 1 may be guided in its sliding movement at itsbottom or lower end in any suitable manner, as by guides 5. Upon thedoor 1 is pivoted or hinged a hasp 6 by means of a plate 7, providedwith ahook or eye S. The hasp 6 is provided at its outer end With anengaging lug 9 and an upwardly-extending apertured projection 10. On thevertical door post or framing 11 is provided a` keeper 12, which latteris provided with a slot 13, which latter is preferably slightly curved,as shown, andis enlarged at its upper end, as at 14, to facilitate theinsertion and removal of the engaging lug 9. The bottom of the slot 13is made of such a width as to be smaller than the engaging lug, so thatin order to remove the said lug from the slot 13 it must be movedupwardly toward the enlarged portion 14. The post 11, directly beneathor back of the keeperplate 12, is cut away, as at 15, so that the lip orprojection of the engaging lug 9 will be adapted to engage the under orrear surface of the keeper-plate 12. This cut-away portion also servesto keep the slot 13 free from dirt and becoming clogged, the keeperbeing practically self-cleaning. To facilitate this selfcleaning action,the bottom of the cut-away portion 15 is formed on a slant or bevel, asat 15, and the cut-away portion left open at the side or edge of thepost 11, against which the door 1 abuts when in a closed condition.

The keeper-plate I2 is provided at the lower end of the slot 13 with anextension 16, pro vided with an aperture, which latter coincides orregisters with the aperture of the head or extension 10 on the hasp 6.It will be observed that the lower bottom wall of the slot 13 acts as astop and prevents the further` descent of the hasp 6, so that when thehasp is in its lowest position in the slot 13 it will be horizontal, asshown in Fig. 1, and also that the eye of the head or extension 10 onsaid hasp will register with or be in alinement with the eye of theprojection or extension 16 on the keeper-plate 12. When the hasp is inthis condition,the door will be fastened against a sliding movement, andif it is desired to further secure the door it can be readilyaccomplished by securing a padlock or Wiring a seal through theapertures in the extensions or projections 10 and 16.

IOO

When it is desired to slide the door to au open position, it is simplynecessary to move the engaging head of the hasp 6 upwardlyin the inclineslot 13 of the keeper-plate until the said head rests in the largestportion of the slot, whereupon it can be readily disengaged from saidslot, and by holding the hasp in the hand the door can be readily slidback and in like manner closed.

We have found from experience that the necessity for a lock of thischaracter is very great, as much complaint is made against the ordinarymeans of fastening now incommon use, and we believe the fastening meanswhich we have just described possesses all the features essential to adevice of this character for the .purpose for which it is intended.

While we have shown and described our invention in connection with acar-door and while it is particularly adapted for such use, we do notwish to limit our invention to such doors, as it might be used toadvantage in other doors, such as barn-doors, grain-doors, and the like.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A car-door fastener comprising a fiat metallic hasp or bar secured tothe car-door and adapted to lie liush with the outer surface thereof andhold the same flush with the lockin g-plate,a lookin g-plate secured onthe j amb of the door and arranged flush with the surface thereof, andprovided with a segmental curved slot formed with an enlarged portion atits upper end, the woodwork of the jamb beneath the plate being cut awayand left open to form a discharge for the dirt which would tend tocollect in the slot, a hook portion formed on the free end of the haspor bar, and extending inward and backward upon the same for engaging thesegmental slot, an apertured lug on the end of said bar adapted to bebrought into coincidence with a corresponding apertured lug formed onthe edge of the locking-plate at the lower edge of the slot formedtherein, the lower edge of said slot limiting the downward movement ofthe hasp, and causing the said apertures to register when the hasp is inits lowest position, said apertures being designed to receive a seal orother locking means.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN L. CLARK. FRANK G. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

FRANK B. LAMOREUX, B. B. PARK.

